MORE ON GRACE NORMAN
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When she was born
When Norman was born she was missing her left foot and her big toe on her right foot due to a congenital amniotic band disorder.
The disorder causes fibrous bands to ensnare parts of the body - usually digits and limbs - and can cause everything from club feet, cleft palates and amputations to miscarriages. In the first six months of her life she had two surgeries to remove additional bands in her legs.
At 11 months, she started to try to walk, and at 13 months she was fitted for her first prosthetic. She hasn’t stopped moving since.
Competing
During the 2012 U.S. Paralympic Track and Field trials, Norman met Blake Leeper, the double amputee from University of Tennessee who runs on Cheetah feet. The Flex-Foot Cheetah is a J-shaped, carbon-fiber prosthetic made famous by South African runner Oscar Pistorius. Leeper went on to medal twice during the London Paralympics.
“He told Grace they need more girls like her on the U.S. team and that’s when she set her sights on the 2016 Games in Rio,” said Norman’s mother, Robin.
Later that summer Norman found out that her family’s insurance would pay for a Cheetah prosthetic. The prosthetic arrived just days before she was to compete in the district cross country meet. During the 3.1-mile race, Norman ran with a more natural gait and cut nearly three minutes off of her time.
"The Cheetah foot absorbs shock when she lands on it, stores energy and helps her push forward,” said Optimus prosthetist Glenn Schober.
During the 2014 Ontario-Para-Athletics Championships in Canada, Norman finished the 1,500-meter race in 5:05:07, beating the existing American record by more than two minutes.
>>> High school junior sets Paralympic world records
Extracurriculars
Norman also plays basketball, swims, sings in the school choir, plays trumpet in the convert band, plays keyboard for both the worship band and church band and competes in 4-H.
“Being an athlete is very important to me, but I like to be more than that. The other aspects of my life -like school and getting good grades and my animals - are important too,” Norman told columnist Tom Archdeacon.
Despite all of those activities, Norman still managed to be a strong student, with a 3.7 GPA.
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